Lunchbox Ideas

I love packing lunch for the kiddos.

Truth: There was a time that my kids didn’t want to bring lunch. They would complain and say that none of their friends brought lunch anymore to school and that it was just easier to buy something in the canteen.

Fortunately, they see the love and care that I put into their food everyday and they have come to appreciate the effort. Gia has often said that her friends remark on her lunch, how healthy it is, and how lucky she is that I still enjoy packing her lunch for her. I’m so grateful for that shift in her prespective, because it has even rubbed off a bit on her brothers as well.

I thought I would share some of my favorite lunches to pack for my kiddos, so that you might be inspired to change up what you are already packing in the lunch boxes for your kids. One of my biggest challenges is finding inspiration in what to pack for the kids. I look to other mommas for inspiration, whether it be simple recipes or even creative additions to make the kids’ lunches a little bit more interesting.

If you do pack lunch, then I’m sure you have a favorite container. Our favorite containers are Easy Lunchboxes. They are easy to store, east to reheat, and easy to clean. I LOVE EASY. (Remember, I’m a mom of four.) EASY is necessary! Our favorite drink containers are Klean Kanteens.

Couscous, garlic and butter fried pork chops, Goober Peanut Butter and Chocolate spread on Home made bread with fresh fruit. This Israeli Couscous pack from Trader’s Joes is so good. It’s easy to make and can be made in the morning so that it’s fresh when I pack the kids lunch boxes. I found it at South Supermarket. I’m so happy that I’m seeing more and more easy to prepare items there!

On this day, I was totally inspired to recycle the leftover quinoa I had into little patties for the kids. B’ley from Blogalag posted about them awhile back. I just changed them up a little, but they came out really good.

I try to balance what I give the kids. Usually, there should be a protein, a carb and a combination of fruits and/or veggies. If I was able to bake then I will include a sweet treat for the kiddos as well. But not something that has too much sugar bc it’s hard to go back to learning and sitting at a desk if you are all pumped up with sugar.

We love Sheperd’s Pie. This is a simple recipe using the ground beef, celery, carrots and a bit of tomato paste. Top it with the fresh mashed potatoes and the kids are super happy. I just had to wait a little while before the aluminum foil containers cooled a bit so I could place them in the containers. On this day, I made the ground beef mixture before hand, and then the morning of, I made the fresh mashed potatoes, baked while I was making brekkie, and then packed in their lunch boxes.

Sausage, tomato, and artichoke pasta leftover from the night before and fresh garlic breadsticks made from day old home made bread. Citrus teacakes usually go in the lunchbox when I have had an order and there are a few pieces left over.

It’s actually pretty easy to pack lunches if you plan properly. I know that when I make pasta for dinner the night before, the leftovers will double as lunch. Even as a family of six, we can’t finish a whole pound (or 500grams) of pasta, so it’s a good system that makes my life easier if I bring out the lunch boxes when clearing the table for dinner. I put the pasta directly into the containers and store in the fridge so all I have to do in the morning is heat them up, and then fill in the dessert and fruit compartments.

Gelli’s snacks can be even simpler. Just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich can keep her happy. I learned after packing this lunch that she definitely did NOT like applesauce. Sandwich cutter used here is from Pampered Chef.

Sandwich cutters make everything fun. I picked up many of my sandwich cutters from the Bento Mommas. I also really try and put as many colors in the lunch as possible. On this day I did well with the variety of colors.

I use lots of tools and small appliances in the kitchen to make my life easier. This quiche maker is perfect to use if I have the pre cut crusts already in the freezer. It’s a big to do when I make pie crust here…I have learned that I need to put my rolling pin and board in the freezer so that my crust still stays flaky in the Manila heat and humidity.

I haven’t tried making other pies yet with this contraption but I bet it would make a mean mini apple crumb…

I try to make it a little interesting for the kids when they open their lunchboxes. I learned from my friend Kaye from Bento Mommas that you can write on the skin of a banana with a toothpick.

Or you can invest in these little Lunch Box Notes. You can get them over at Nurture Nook. Thanks Janice-you know me so well 🙂 These come in very handy! I think I need to pick up some more!

It’s also easy to do quick lunches in the morning if you have the basics in your fridge.

Most times, I will have two or three different pasta sauces in the freezer or fridge at one time. When I make a batch of fresh pesto, it’s usually way more than we will use for one pound of pasta. I think I saw somewhere on Pinterest that you can freeze pesto in an ice cube tray and just pull out cubes based on how much pasta you have on hand. Pasta pesto, sliced and fried sausage and a pretty checkerboard apple make this lunch fun for the kids but hearty enough to keep them going all the way till the end of the day. (Other easy to make and freeze sauces are marinara, meatballs with gravy, and bolognese.) Creamy sauces are hard to freeze-so I usually make those on the same day I will pack it in the lunch.

Sometimes the kids are very specific, and they request certain dishes in their lunch box.

Sometimes, the night before school, if the kids really enjoyed dinner they will request to make sure what goes inside their lunch box. On this particular day, I roasted a bunch of veggies as a side dish for dinner that night. Gia requested that I make a roasted vegetable creamy soup the next day for lunch since it had been so rainy…that was very easy to do. I just warmed up the veggies with some garlic, onion, and cream, and then I put it in the blender. Add buttery garlic croutons from day old bread and they were happy!

When I talk about appliances that make my life easier, I can’t forget to mention my bread maker. I picked up my bread maker at the suggestion of a good friend. We have this place we like to go to for deals and steals. It was the best investment I ever made! We have experimented with all types of breads and the kids really enjoy the idea that their bread comes from home on those days when it’s included in their lunch.

This being said, I also hate to see things go to waste. So-if we have some bread or crusts that haven’t been sent in the lunch box, it’s very easy to butter, toast, and turn them into croutons, or garlic sticks, bread pudding, or even bread crumbs. Waste not…Want not…

Sometimes, I’m tired. Sometimes, I prepare lunch by buying items from the local bakery. From Bread Talk to Tous Le Jours and even Yamamoto in Makati, I am left with a plethora of choices when I visit these places on a mission for lunch the next day.

But even on days when I’m feeling a little lazy, there are so many near by bake shops that I can pick up a few pieces to put in the lunch box without feeling guilty. I try to keep it as natural as possible when I pack…but every once and while it’s ok for me to give them something that is store bought. Those are the days I try to make it up with lots of fresh fruit. In this pic above, they had kiwi, cherries, apples and grapes. It makes me feel less guilty about not putting forth so much effort.

Truth is…they like most anything that I pack for them. I push the envelope every now and then. I know this kid of mine doesn’t like carrot sticks so much….the other kid of mine says apples make her throat scratchy… and yet the other kid complains if the bread is not soft enough…I know what they like, what they don’t like, and what they need to work in their diet. I want to make it easy on them, easy on myself, and of course healthy in the process.

After all, I know that I am building their future eating habits with something as simple as packing their lunch boxes now…

Aw. Thank you Kristin.
Truth is-we inspire each other, I think 🙂 I can’t wait to go back to the Hudson Valley and catch up with you! Van has been telling me how yummy your caramel is!! I can’t wait to try it!